On The Inside
by Gravity-Chan
Summary: It's been eleven years since the King captured all the dragons and locked them up in his dungeons, and now they're ready to taste freedom again. During Gajeel's escape, the princess becomes his hostage! Faced with the pressure of suddenly being torn from her home and having to deal with her family at the same time, Levy's problems are only just beginning. CURRENTLY ON HIATUS!
1. The Princess and the Dragon

**Hello there, and welcome to my newest story, On The Inside! This one is different from my usual NaLu, it's actually a GaLe story. I apologize if it's a little out of my comfort zone. I've never written GaLe before. So, there are a few things about Levy's family that you should be aware of, because it's quite confusing. Jude Heartfilia is the King. His wife Layla is dead. He has a sister (OC) Lena, whose husband was recently killed. Jude's daughter Lucy is the heiress to the kingdom, as Lena doesn't want it. Lena's daughter Levy is the second heir behind Lucy. In other words, Lucy and Levy are cousins in this story.**

**Now that that's covered, we can get on with the story. I hope you enjoy! Please review/follow/favorite so I know whether I should continue!**

* * *

Levy stood at her window, gazing out into the castle gardens. She was still getting accustomed to her new life at King Jude's castle. When her father, the King's brother, was fatally wounded when his carriage was attacked by robbers, his widowed wife took her only child and moved into the castle where her brother-in-law was.

That child was her, of course, though this luxurious lifestyle didn't suit her even a little. She would much prefer a simpler life. It's not that she hated her life here, but her mother, Lena, hadn't been the same since her father passed, and her uncle Jude wasn't the most welcoming figurehead.

Levy sighed and leaned her elbows on her windowsill, cradling her head in her hands. She wished she were able to go outside the walls of the gardens, but there were dangerous people out there, and Lena was always telling her to keep away.

"Levy?" Levy turned at the sound of her name being called and saw her cousin, Lucy, poking her head into the room.

Levy smiled at her cousin. "Good morning, Lucy," she greeted, waving for her to come in. "What's up?" Lena would almost certainly disapprove of the city slang Levy was so fond of.

Lucy walked into the room, looking quite exhausted. Levy looked up at her cousin in concern. "You look awful," she murmured. It was harsh, but true. "Did you sleep last night?"

Lucy sighed and collapsed on Levy's bed. "Hardly," she replied. "Father took me to another meeting late last night. It's absolutely exhausting being Magnolia's heiress. If you make one mistake, everyone disregards everything you did right and you become a disgrace."

Levy stroked Lucy's hair gently. "I'm sorry, Lu," she consoled. "It must be really hard."

Lucy sighed, closing her eyes. "Well, I guess I'll just have to get used to it," she relented. "Father says it will get easier with time. I hope that's the case."

Levy nodded. "You'll be a wonderful Queen someday," she assured her. "Then you'll meet your Prince Charming and fall in love, just like in my fairy tales."

Lucy glanced at Levy comically. "You know there's no such thing as Prince Charming, right?" she asked incredulously. "Your stories are just that, stories. They're all fiction."

Levy pouted. "What happened to the Lucy who used to love fairy tales?" she asked.

Lucy's smile faltered and her expression went from amused to solemn. "She died along with my mother," she answered, her voice barely above a whisper.

Levy opened her mouth to say something, then thought better of it and shut it again, looking away. She clasped her hands in her lap and tapped her toes on the ground restlessly. "I think Auntie Layla would have wanted you to keep believing," she murmured.

Lucy sat up. "Levy, I'm sorry," she said quickly. "I didn't mean to upset you." she reached out and touched Levy's shoulder gently.

Levy gave Lucy her best smile. "It's fine, I know it's been hard for you since Auntie Layla... passed," she said carefully.

"How do you manage to be so perfect all the time?" Lucy asked. "You're polite, you never hold a grudge, and everyone adores you. Maybe you should be giving me Princess lessons, hm?"

The two shared a laugh together, and Levy was glad that even though she wasn't allowed to meet anyone outside the castle, she at least had Lucy as her best friend.

* * *

A dark-haired man, his long tresses tied back with a piece of dirty yarn, sat hunched over with his elbows on his knees, staring at his hands. He frowned and clasped his hands together, the chain linking them clattering noisily in the eerily silent room. The noise sounded like gunshots in the quiet atmosphere, and it didn't help that the magic-cancelling handcuffs didn't limit his enhanced hearing skill. One of the few perks of being a dragon.

"Gajeel, will you stop making that goddamn noise?" a man with strange salmon-colored hair growled, scowling and displaying his annoyance at the sounds the chains emitted.

"Shut up, Natsu," came a third voice, addressed to the pink-haired man. "Rogue and I are trying to come up with a plan." his yellow-blond hair shine faintly in the dim light of the barred cell they were all in. Apparently they weren't special enough to have their own cells, not even poor Wendy, the only female of the group.

"Would you all just shut up!" Gajeel snapped, a grumpy edge to his voice. "Sting, we all know there's no chance of escape. If they catch us, we'll be dead for sure. We're only alive to be test subjects, anyway."

"Wrong," Sting said. "Rogue and I have a foolproof plan. The first part is getting out of these handcuffs."

Gajeel rolled his eyes. "And how are we supposed to do that?" he asked. "Our strength is limited to our human bodies. There's no way I could break these chains will just my bare hands."

Sting smirked, his dragon's fangs glinting eerily in the dark. "Wendy, your hands are small," he said. "See if you can worm them out."

"You've got to be kidding," Natsu groaned. "There's no way the guards would be so stupid as to give Wendy handcuffs she could get her hands out of.

Wendy spoke up, twirling a strand of long indigo hair around her finger nervously. "Natsu is right," she said. "The cuffs are just small enough that I can't. I tried once before."

Sting stood up, walking over to the wall of the prison the five of them were trapped in. He ran a hand down the wall and held it to the light. "The rocks in the back of the cells are dripping with this slimy stuff," he explained. "If we cover Wendy's hands in it-"

"Shr may be able to free herself," Gajeel finished for him. "That's the best idea anyone's had in the last eleven years. Do it." he smirked, and for once, there was a glimmer of hope in his dark existence.

Sting scraped up handfuls of the slime and began to slather it onto Wendy's wrists. The girl shivered uncomfortably and wrinkled her nose at the feel. "Gross," she muttered.

Sting finished applying the slimy substance to Wendy's wrists and nodded to her. Wendy furrowed her eyebrows in determination and began to move her wrists around, testing their mobility. She leaned over and pressed her foot firmly over the chain connecting the shackles, then she squeezed her eyes shut and pulled, hard. She let out a sharp cry of pain as her hands came free, taking off some of the skin on the side of her hands as well. She winced as she cradled her bleeding hands, and focused her magic. Slowly, the wounds on her hands stitched themselves, and Wendy sighed in relief as the pain subsided.

"It worked!" Sting cried joyfully. "Hurry, Wendy, get the rest of us free!"

It wasn't a hard job for Wendy to break the shackles binding Sting's wrists, and after massaging the raw skin underneath, he moved to free Rogue. Wendy then moved to Gajeel, using her sky magic to release him from his restraints.

Gajeel stood up and stretched, a fiery going in his eye that none of the others had seen since they were all captured eleven years ago. "What next?" he asked, glancing at Sting. Wendy has freed Natsu by now, and the sharp-eyed looked ready to bust out.

"Now, we make a break for it," Sting replied, pointing to the ceiling."

Wendy scrunched her eyebrows in confusion. "What do you mean?" she asked.

Sting's eyes glinted in the dim light as he turned to address Wendy. "There are cracks in the ceiling that let the light in. If we hit the rock hard enough, we should be able to break it. Of course we'll be in our dragon forms again when that happens."

Natsu flashed a fanged grin at Sting. "Ah, yeah! It's been too long since I've been able to take on my dragon form!" he exclaimed. "Let's go! The sooner, the better."

"Allow me," Gajeel said with a smirk, and he gripped the iron bar firmly before ripping it away, feeling his dragon's strength returning to him. He proceeded to promptly shove the iron bar into his mouth before ripping another out and slipping through the gap.

Sting followed suit, shaking his head. "I forgot you could eat iron," he said.

Gajeel shrugged. "I am the iron dragon, after all," he pointed out. "Eating iron is my thing. Besides, we could use the extra power."

Stig nodded and closed his eyes, his expression hardening. Gajeel could sense Sting's immense magical energy as it built up. Stig gritted his teeth as the edges of scales sprouted from his skin and his body began to change, his body elongating and widening, and his fingers growing into clawed hands that eventually became his talons. His skin whitened until it was blindingly white, and a long, sleek tail and wings sprouted from his back. Within minutes he was a thirty-five-foot long dragon, complete with two rows of flesh-ripping fangs. The other four followed Sting's example. Gajeel fought through the stinging pain that came with his transformation; it seemed eleven years without changing forms had really taken a toll on him. Once he had finished, he shook out his sleek smoky gray body. He glanced at Natsu, who was now a regal-looking red dragon, and nodded to him.

Sting crouched and leapt swiftly, beating his huge wings hard and thrusting his shoulder into the cave's ceiling. He let out a loud roar as his body broke through the cracks in the ceiling, scattering huge chunks of rock all over the cave floor. Almost immediately the castle's alarm went off. Wendy toon off next, her cloud gray form disappearing swiftly. Rogue went next, his pure black scales reflecting the sunlight that filtered inside.

Gajeel crouched and prepared to jump, but as he jumped something sank into his wing, and pain exploded through his body. He bellowed in pain and crashed into the ground once more, and judging by the similar howls he heard, he had been hit in a similar way.

There was no way Gajeel would be able to fly in this condition. He felt his magic being drained, and he shrunk back down to his human form. He muttered a long string of swears to himself and grasped the object that was lodged in his back, yanking it out painfully. It was an arrow, and by the scent of it, it was poison-tipped, explaining the shattering pain he had felt at first impact. He glanced ad Natsu, who was again a human but still standing.

Gajeel turned to where guards were swarming the dungeon and rushed forward, using his magic to make his arm into a long, flat-topped cylindrical weapon. "Outta my way!" he yelled, swinging his arm around and taking out a couple of soldiers with it.

"Fire Dragon's Iron Fist!" Natsu yelled, fighting his way through the crowd. His fist caught fire and he punched a guard hard in the face, momentarily opening up a pathway for him.

Gajeel fought his way to the doors and ran up the stairs onto the second floor of the palace, where he came face-to face with a girl. After giving her a swift glance, he grabbed her wrist and pulled her with him. The girl yelped in surprise as she was pulled off her feet. Hopefully she was important enough that he could use her as a hostage of sorts to ensure his safety. He took off down the hall, although he didn't get far before his path was blocked by the guards.

"Stand down, we have you surrounded!" A woman's voice called. Gajeel searched the ring of soldiers around him until he found her face; Erza Scarlet, captain of the royal guard. Hastily, Gajeel pulled the dumbstruck girl in front of him, changing his arm into a sharp blade and holding it to the girl's throat. He heard her give a gasp of fear and felt her shaking in his hold, but all he cared about was his own life. "Stay back," he commanded. "Or the girl dies."

Erza seemed to falter at this, her expression hardening. "Give us back the princess and I can promise you your life," she bartered. Gajeel smirked. A princess was better than he hoped for. The guards took a step closer and Gajeel pressed the blade harder against the girl's neck, drawing blood.

Gajeel narrowed his eyes at Erza, his gaze never leaving hers. Then, in a split-second decision, he shoved his back against the window and shattered it. There was a high-pitched scream from the girl still clutched tightly in his grip and then he was falling from a two-story window. Summoning his magic, Gajeel managed to make his transformation into a dragon and catch himself before he hit the ground. However, he knew he wouldn't be able to keep up this form for long, and decided to head back to his home, where he knew Pantherlily would be waiting with Natsu's and Wendy's exceeds.

Gajeel clutched the princess tightly in his claws. She was thrashing and screaming, though he sensed it was mostly out of fear. The poor girl couldn't be older than seventeen, making her six when the dragons were locked up. She'd probably never seen a dragon before.

Gajeel flew full-speed towards the mountains in the distance. Luckily, his dragon's speed would give him at least a three day head start on the royal guard.

Gajeel began to slow against his will as he neared his home, a cave at the top of a cheer, unscalable cliff. He knew the poison in his veins was beginning to take effect. His legs felt numb and when he finally reached the cliff he wasn't able to stand on his own feet anymore. He felt himself change back into his human form as he collapsed on the ground, the princess falling from his grasp and rolling across the floor. He groaned and fought to stay awake, wishing he had Wendy's healing power right about now. He saw the princess approach him and narrowed his eyes at her to see better.

"Are you okay?" the girl asked, leaning over Gajeel. He was lying on his side, giving her a full view of the wound that arrow left him. Her unruly blue hair framed her pale face, which had a concerned expression on it.

"Do I look okay?" Gajeel growled in response, though his sarcasm was lost on his pained tone. He felt her hand trace over the wound and he winced at the stab of pain that followed. "Ow. Watch where you put your hands."

Immediately the hand left his back. "Sorry," the girl murmured. She paused, then muttered a few words under her breath. Gajeel couldn't make out what she was saying, but he felt a rush of magic and suddenly there was a roll of bandages in her hand. "Hold still."

"I'm not going anywhere," Gajeel answered bitterly, and allowed her to sit him up and begin bandaging his wounds. "I don't need the princess of the kingdom I despise to patch me up, Shrimp" he said, though he made no move to stop her.

The girl frowned at him. "My name is Levy, and I'm helping you because you need help. These bandages will help with the poison. They're magic." She finished wrapping them and secured the end before leaning him against the wall of the cave.

Gajeel smirked at Levy. "You're awfully brave for someone who screamed the whole way here," he said.

"Who wouldn't when they'd just been abducted by a dragon?" Levy pointed out. "Why did you kidnap me, anyway."

Gajeel chuckled darkly. "I kidnapped you because if I didn't, I'd be dead. You can say I'm using you so they have a reason to keep me alive," he replied, running a hand through his dark hair.

Levy frowned at Gajeel disapprovingly. "I'm not a tool," she grumbled crossly, but didn't ask any further questions.

"Where's Lily?" Gajeel said suddenly, and attempted to stand, which only resulted in a lot of pain on his part.

"I told you not to move!" Levy scolded. "Who's Lily?"

Gajeel glanced down deeper into the cave. "My cat. Happy and Charlie should be here as well." he raised his voice and cupped his mouth with his hands. "Lily! Happy! Charlie! Are you guys there?" he called i to the darkness.

After about a minute of waiting, gajeel sighed. "They must be out," he said. "I hope they're okay."

Levy still looked confused, but she didn't ask further questions. She pulled at the hem of her dress so it laid more comfortably on her legs. "So, you're a dragon. How come you look human now?" she asked instead, curious.

Gajeel glanced at Levy. "I'm only half dragon," he replied. "My dad was a dragon, my mom was human. Technically this is my true form, but if I use enough magic, I can turn into a dragon." he shifted his position slightly, wincing with the effort. "It's a pain, really."

Levy nodded. "I see," she murmured, but she looked like she wasn't even listening anymore. She was deep in thought, her eyes wandering to the entrance to the cave.

Gajeel sighed and tapped his knuckles lightly on the ground beneath him. "Alright, now it's my turn to ask questions," he said. "How come you're not afraid of me?"

Levy blinked and turned to face Gajeel once more. "Well, I was raised on stories about dragons. My father was a sympathizer towards them," she explained. "He was one of the ones against imprisoning them. I always thought of the dragons in storybooks as being the protectors of the princesses."

Gajeel stared at her incredulously. "So everything you know about dragons is based on fairy tales?" he clarified.

Levy smiled and nodded. "I've never met a real dragon until today," she answered.

Gajeel sighed. Women were impossible. "Sit," he commanded, pointing to the spit next to him. Levy looked confused at first, then obeyed, leaning her back against the wall. Gajeel turned and laid his head on her lap so he was staring at the ceiling.

"W-What are you doing?" Levy sputtered, her face reddening.

Gajeel glanced up at her. "I'm going to sleep," he replied, as if she were stupid for not knowing better. "I'd never be able on the rocks in this puny form. Every little thing irritates my skin."

Levy seemed to relax at this. "O-Oh, okay," she murmured in reply, and made no move to push away the man now laying across her legs. Gajeel closed his eyes and let out a deep breath, attempting to sleep.

After a few minutes of silence, Levy began to hum softly to herself. Gajeel didn't open his eyes, but he listened to the melody. It started as a sweet, light-hearted tons, but as it ended it turned bitter. Gajeel allowed the song to lull him to sleep, although right before he went under, he could have sworn he smelt her tears.


	2. Forming a Plan

**I've been having so many ideas lately, I don't even know why. Unfortunately, I'm not willing to take on more than four projects at a time c; Eventually~**

**Anyway, I hope you guys enjoy this new chapter as much as I enjoyed writing it! Thanks to everyone who reviewed/followed/favorited!**

**brittneyangel: Thanks! I also love Gajeel and Levy c:**

**Tinex: Thanks!**

* * *

Gajeel was awoken by bright sunlight streaming into the cave where he laid. He glanced around, noting that he was no longer laying on Levy's lap, but his head now rested on a bunched up bundle of cloth. Gajeel frowned in confusion and slowly pushed himself into a sitting position. At first, he didn't spot Levy, and felt a moment of sharp panic. Without Levy, there was nothing to keep the king from having him killed. Then he spotted the blue-haired princess at the edge of a small slab of rock that protruded from the cave's entrance. She had her legs slung over the edge and she was gazing outside.

Grunting, Gajeel pushed himself painfully to his feet and made his way over. He could still feel the bandages across his back, but he wasn't dead, so he guessed the bandages had done their job expelling the poison.

Levy glanced up as Gajeel neared her. "You shouldn't be walking yet," she commented, but made no move to stop him.

"Dragons are quick healers," Gajeel replied, leaning against the wall of the cave's opening for support. "Has Lily returned yet?"

Levy shook her head. "No sign of any cats," she replied, though by the sound of her voice, she didn't believe him.

Gajeel shook his head; how close-minded. Just because he was a dragon didn't mean he couldn't befriend a cat. "What are you looking for?" he asked, glancing out at the trees.

Levy frowned slightly. "I don't know, I just had a hunch. I feel like I should be watching for something."

Gajeel arched an eyebrow at her. What a strange princess. Every other princess he'd known was either far too interested in her own appearance or considered herself a superior species. Levy was different, however, Gajeel noted. She wore her hair with a headband to keep it out of her face, a practical hairstyle that matched her personality. She also lacked the substantial amount of make-up most royal women sported. It made her look more natural, and less like a painted glass doll. Gajeel let his eyes trail down to her dress. It was already smudged with dirt and grit from the less-than-tidy cave and the bottom, which had previously reached halfway down her lower leg, was torn so it only reached her knees, explaining the lump of cloth Gajeel was lying on when he awoke. Levy had abandoned her shoes, a pair of uncomfortable-looking flats to match her dress, and they sat beaide her now dirty feet.

Levy peered up at Gajeel curiously. "What are you looking at?" she asked, tilting her head slightly and watching him thoughtfully through her chocolate brown eyes.

A frown tugged at Gajeel's features and his eyebrows furrowed. He looked confused. "You're weird," he commented. "Not at all like a princess."

Levy stared at Gajeel incredulously. Weird? she repeated in her head. She looked away, closing her eyes. "Well, in case you haven't noticed, I'm not like other princesses," she replied, and opened her eyes again, glancing out into the forest.

Gajeel was, frankly, speechless. He wasn't really very surprised, though he had expected her to be at least a little annoyed, it was more like he didn't know how to answer.

Levy frowned and squinted i to the distance. "What's that?" she wondered aloud. There was a small gray blue moving towards them, growing steadily larger.

Gajeel lifted his head and followed Levy's gaze until he spotted the blur. It took him a moment to identify it, but when he did, a wide grin stretched across his face. He cupped his hands around his mouth. "Wendy!" he called, trusting her dragon's hearing to pick up his voice.

It didn't take long for the cloud-gray dragon to reach the slab of rock where Levy and Gajeel stood. She landed behind them, simultaneously taking her human form. She stumbled a few steps, but managed to catch herself, and raced to Gajeel, wrapping her arms around the tall man. "Gajeel!" she cried happily. "We were so worried when you weren't behind us! We thought they got you!"

Gajeel patted the girl's head awkwardly. He wasn't one for public displays of affection such as hugs. Wendy knee this and kept her hug short, then took a step back, glancing around. "Where's Natsu? He's with you, right?" then her gaze landed on Levy. It seemed the blue-haired girl had just noticed there was a third party involved. "And who's she?" She was polite, and gave Levy a kind smile.

"Shrimp over there is the princess of Magnolia," Gajeel answered, jerking his thumb at Levy.

Levy stood up, pouting. y name is Levy. Use it," she said simply, and smiled down at Wendy. "You're Wendy? I take it you're a friend of Gajeel's?" she said.

Wendy nodded. "We've been through a lot together," she answered with a giggle, glancing up at Gajeel teasingly. The man just grunted in reply.

"Gajeel!" The dark-haired man looked up in half-surprise to see three small figures approaching him. He grinned broadly as he spotted a dark gray cat-like creature with white wings and a pink scar by his right eye flying towards him. Behind him were two others of the same species, a blue one and a white female wearing a dress.

"Pantherlily!" Gajeel called. "And you have Happy and Carla too. Perfect."

The three cats landed on the perch outside of Gajeel's cave and Happy ran up to him, a worried look on his face. "Is Natsu here?" he asked.

Gajeel was reluctant to answer, but he knew there was no avoiding it. "Natsu's not here," he replied gruffly. "We got separated. I don't know if he got out or not." his voice took on a solemn note, and he looked away.

Wendy gasped and covered her mouth with her hands. Her eyes began to water. "You don't mean that he..." she trailed off as she began to sob, which only served go make Gajeel uncomfortable.

"I didn't say he was dead!" Gajeel said quickly. "He probably got out on his own. Natsu wouldn't let himself be killed so easily."

Gajeel's words seemed to soothe Wendy somewhat, and she wiped her tears away. "You're right," she sighed. "Natsu is strong. I'm sure he'll find a way out."

"Who's Natsu, and what's all this about getting caught?" Levy interrupted. She had quite the confused look on her face as she stared up wt Gajeel.

Wendy exchanged a glance with Gajeel. "I guess we ought to tell her," she said. "It wouldn't hurt, right?"

Gajeel looked reluctant, then he sighed and sat down, crossing his legs. "Alright, I'll tell the story," he relented. "It started long before I was born, over twenty years ago. King Jude, then only nineteen years old, had just recently married. He learned about the dragons nesting in the mountains. One of them, considered the strongest, was a rogue, Acnologia. He flew around the country, terrorizing villages and killing people. The King wanted all the dragons caged up, so he sent out his people go do it.

"The dragons tried hard to reason with the humans. Or at least, some of them. Most were ready for war, the others simply wanted to live in peace. My father, Metalicana, was one of them.

"It took nearly ten years to finally get every dragon behind bars. By this point, I was seven years old. They took me with them because I was a half-breed, and they wanted to study half-breeds. Wendy was only two when this happened. They took us and the other three half-breeds and put hs in a cell, leaving us to rot. They killed off the full-blooded dragons, as the King wanted nothing to do with them.

"We'd been locked up in that cell for eleven years. Sting, the White Dragon, managed to come up with a plan to free us. However, Natsu and I were separated when the guards shot us with poisoned arrows. I managed to get away by taking Shrimp hostage and jumping out of a two-story window. I have no idea where Salamander is." Gajeel sighed as he finished his story.

Wendy's face went ghostly white. "Gajeel! You took this poor girl hostage?" she cried disbelievingly.

Gajeel felt his anger bubble up at his youngest friend's comment. "It was either that or die!" he growled in response. "Which would you rather have?"

"I don't mind," Levy said quickly, making both dragons turn to look at her, wearing twin expressions of surprise. Levy smiled at them. "I don't think you need to worry about your friend, either. My cousin is the heiress of the kingdom, she'll find some way to keep him alive."

Happy jumped up on Levy's shoulder, startling the girl a bit. "I'm going to go find Natsu!" he declared. "He's my best friend! I can't just leave him behind.

"Don't be stupid," Carla snapped, but Pantherlily interrupted her. "Perhaps we exceeds should go speak with the heiress?" he suggested. "We can alert her about Natsu's situation, and maybe turn her into our ally."

Levy nodded. "I think she would support you," she added. "She grew up on the same stories as me."

Wendy looked reluctant, but Gajeel nodded his assent. "That's not a bad idea," he grunted. "I approve."

Carla opened her mouth to argue, but Happy wouldn't let her. "Alright, then let's go!" he cheered, jumping from Levy's shoulder. White wings sprouted from his shoulders and he hovered above the other two exceeds.

Gajeel glanced down at Pantherlily. "Make sure they don't get in trouble," he said. "I'm counting on you."

Pantherlily nodded and waited patiently for Wendy to finish saying her goodbyes to Carla. The small girl hugged Carla gently. "Good luck," she murmured. "Be safe."

Levy looked down at Happy. "The girl you're looking for is named Lucy. Her room is in the third floor, at the far west. There's a circular window there." she smiled as she petted the blue cat's head. "Tell her I'm okay, please?"

Happy smiled up at Levy. "Aye, sir!" he replied cheerfully, and the three cats flew out of the cave door, quickly disappearing from sight.

Gajeel ran a hand through his hair, frowning slightly, then turned to where Wendy and levy were conversing quietly together. "Wendy, where are Sting and Rogue?" he asked. "Did they not come with you?"

Wendy glanced up, then lowered her gaze again, an embarrassed blush spreading over her face. "Well, you see, when we left, the guards were shooting us with arrows," she explained. "I panicked, and got separated from them." she lifted her head up and added quickly, "I'm sure they've found a safe place. Sting is clever, he knows the best places to go."

Gajeel nodded. "Good," he said. "That leaves only Natsu. I hope your cousin is everything you say she is." he glanced out the cave's entrance. He wasn't necessarily worried for Natsu; he'd known the fire dragon since he was seven, eleven years now, and he knew Natsu wouldn't get killed so easily.

Gajeel sighed and sat down, suddenly feeling very exhausted. Wendy glanced at him and only just seemed to notice the bandages that covered his chest. She covered her mouth with one hand. "You're hurt!" she exclaimed, walking over to him.

Gajeel grunted. "I got hit in the back by a poisoned arrow. I'm fine," he said quickly.

Wendy frowned at Gajeel, her worry showing on her face. "No, you're not okay. You're exhausted. Lay down, let me heal you."

Gajeel shook his head. "Using your magic on something like this will drain you," he warned. "Then you'll be the exhausted one." he leaned his head back so it rested on the cave's wall. "I'll be fine in a few days."

"You don't have a few days," Levy pointed out. "Erza Scarlet has probably already left to come find me. she could be here as soon as tomorrow." she joined Wendy.

"Besides, I'll only be tired for a little while," Wendy added. "By tomorrow morning, I'll be fine." she pushed Gajeel's shoulder stubbornly. Gajeel sighed and rolled his eyes, laying down so his head rested on the hard ground of the cave. Wendy hovered over him, her hands flat and held a few inches from his chest. She closed her eyes and focused, her face hardening in determination. A faint white light shone from her hands as she worked her magic. Already Gajeel could feel his strength returning.

Wendy let her hands fall to her side and ran the back of her head over her forehead, wiping away the sweat that beaded there. "That ought to do it," she sighed. She keeled forward, and for a moment it seemed like she was going to faint, but Levy was there to catch her.

"Are you alright?" Levy asked worriedly, helping the girl back to her feet. Wendy nodded. "Fine," she murmured the reply. "I just need to rest a little, and get a good night's sleep." she gave Levy a reassuring smile.

Gajeel sat up and crossed his arms. The pain was gone now, and he knew underneath the bandages there was no mark on him. "You should take it easy," he said. "This is the second day in a row you've used your healing magic."

"I'm fine," Wendy replied stubbornly. "Like I said, all I need is a good night's sleep." she sat down next to Gajeel and laid her head against the wall of the cave, humming contentedly.

Levy glanced outside; the sun was slowly sinking beneath the horizon. "We should all get some sleep," she said. Gajeel peered at Levy strangely. It seemed she was even more different that he imagined. If anything, he figured she would be against the dragons, but it seemed she was a sympathizer.

"Like her father," he murmured, too low for Levy to hear. Wendy picked it up, however, and glanced at Gajeel curiously. Gajeel did not return her stare; his eyes were fixed on the blue-haired princess in front of him. "This may get interesting."


	3. On The Run

**I kind of rushed to finish this chapter :T I just really wanted to update it quickly, because usually updates for one story are about a week apart. Hopefully you guys still enjoy it. Thanks to everyone who reviewed/followed/favorited this story! You guys are wonderful! 3**

**Fairytailfan (Guest): Thanks! I'm happy you like it! Hopefully my chapters continue to satisfy you c;**

* * *

Carla returned the next day in order to give a report from Lily and Happy. Of course Wendy was happy to see her, and Levy was eager to see what her cousin Lucy had told them.

"What did she say?" Levy interrupted Wendy and Carla's reunion rather rudely; she would apologize for that slip-up later. "Did you tell her I was alright? Was she worried?" in truth, Levy was more worried about how Lucy would react than she was about anything else.

Carla frowned disapprovingly at Levy. "Well, we reached the castle and went in the room you told us about, and we waited there until the princess returned," she began. "Of course Lucy was not very welcoming at first, as she had never seen our species before, but she warmed up to us quickly." she paused, smoothing her dress with a look of disinterest on her face. "We told her you were okay and that we would keep you safe, and alerted her on the both Gajeel's and Natsu's situation. She told us she had already met Natsu, and that the king had sentenced him to death."

Wendy let out a loud gasp and covered her mouth with her hands. "Don't tell me, he…?" she trailed off, unable to form the words she wanted to say.

Carla shook her head quickly. "No, Natsu is alive, for now at least. the princess promised to do everything in her power to keep him alive. I don't think we need to worry about him. Lucy seems like a very capable young woman." she paused and closed her eyes for a moment. "Happy and Lily have agreed to stay at the castle for now, to provide information and help in Natsu's rescue attempt. I'm to act as a messenger. Every morning I'll fly out and bring back any new information, keep everyone up to date."

Levy smiled, her body relaxing with relief. "Thank goodness," she sighed. "Thank you, Carla."

Gajeel, who had remained quietly in the corner of the group the whole time, finally spoke up. "So what's the plan?" he asked gruffly, his seemingly permanent frown still on his face. "Do we move on? No doubt the Royal Army is right on our heels. I don't know if we can chance an encounter with them just yet."

Wendy nodded, glancing out the mouth of the cave. "We should try to find Sting and Rogue first," she suggested. "No doubt they're worried sick about us." she glanced at Gajeel, a worried look in her eyes. "I'm worried about them, too. What if they got captured?"

Gajeel shook his head quickly. "Sting and Rogue don't go down so easily," he answered simply. "But you're right, we need to find them. They couldn't have gotten too far, perhaps we can find their scent."

Levy sat back on her heels, tugging on the edge of her dress. "Then what? You can't run forever," she pointed out.

Gajeel turned to look down at the petite princess, and a grin stretched across his face. "Then, we fight back." he answered, slamming a fist into an open hand expressively. Just the thought made him feel excited. He'd been wanting to fight for eleven years, ever since he had first been captured and taken into custody by the Royal Army. He slammed a fist into his hand.

"Fight back?" Wendy echoed. "Are you sure? You know I'm not good in a fight-"

"You won't be fighting," Gajeel interrupted, a protective firmness in his voice that made Levy wonder if she had imagined it. He seemed to care deeply for the young dragoness, however much he tried to hide it. "You'll be back on the sidelines. We may need your healing magic."

Wendy nodded, seeming relieved at his answer. Levy turned her gaze back to Gajeel, who was staring solemnly out into the woods beyond his home. "We leave tonight," he announced. "We'll travel at night and sleep in the daytime to avoid detection. Shrimp goes with me, Carla goes with Wendy."

Levy frowned slightly. "Shrimp?" she repeated. "I told you, my name is Levy, not Shrimp!" she detested comments on her height, even though it was true she was under the average.

"Not important," Gajeel answered, waving her off. "You all should try to sleep now, you'll need your energy tonight."

"What about you?" Wendy asked, glancing up at the gruff man. "You'll need your strength too, especially because you won't be completely recovered without sleep. You're still low on energy, there's only so much my magic can do."

Gajeel sat down, crossing his legs, at the mouth of the cave. "I'll keep watch for now," he answered. "Someone has to, or anything could sneak in here." he paused, glancing back at Wendy with that same stone-cold expression. "I'll wake someone for the next watch in a few hours. Get some sleep."

Wendy sighed, reluctantly relenting and shedding her coat to use as a pillow. Levy would never understand how they managed to return from their dragon forms fully clothed. Must be a type of dragon magic.

Levy glanced at Wendy as she lay down to sleep. "Is he always like that?" she asked in a low whisper, nodding her head to where Gajeel stared intently outside.

Wendy stifled a giggle. "Always," she answered. "But he really does care, he just has some problems expressing it." she paused and sighed, her face growing somber. "He had a hard life, even before the king came. Rogue is the same way, but he hides his emotions with silence."

Levy frowned slightly. "Gajeel is certainly talkative enough," she murmured. "I just wish he wouldn't call me 'Shrimp' all the time. it isn't my fault I'm small!"

Wendy grinned at Levy. "He'll warm up to you," she assured. "You just need to be patient with him."

Levy smiled at Wendy, who quickly returned the smile. It wasn't hard for Levy to decide she liked Wendy. Unlike Gajeel, Wendy was kind, understanding and sympathetic. She wondered what Sting and Natsu were like. She sighed softly and let her eyes flutter shut. Despite the fact that it wasn't even noon yet, she felt strangely tired, and it wasn't hard for her to fall into a deep, dreamless sleep.

* * *

Levy was awoken later by someone shaking her by the shoulders. She murmured something incoherent under her breath before rolling over to see who was assaulting her in her sleep. She was met with the deep brown eyes of Wendy. "Hmm?" she questioned wordlessly, rubbing the sleep from her eyes.

"Wake up, sleepy-head," Wendy giggled. "It's nearly sunset. We're getting ready to leave."

Levy sat up and ran a hand through her messy hair, noticing that she had failed to remove her headband before falling asleep. She yawned as she pulled it out and ran her fingers through her tangled hair, doing her best to make her bird's nest into something presentable. She replaced the headband and fluffed her hair a bit before pushing herself to her feet and glancing around.

Gajeel was waiting impatiently at the mouth of the cave, his foot tapping rhythmically, a deep scowl on his face. "Hurry up!" he snapped. "We don't have all night!"

Levy rolled her eyes but couldn't help the small grin that found its way onto her face. Somehow, despite his odd choice of accessories and dress, his image fit his personality. Wild, unpredictable, rough. He had piercings in the oddest places, such as the three above each eye that seemed to be a substitute for eyebrows, and the metal studs on his arms. How does one pierce their arms?

Levy shook her head of her thoughts and jogged over to where Gajeel and Wendy were waiting, Carla hovering on a pair of white wings. "I'm ready," she announced, adjusting her headband slightly on her head.

Gajeel nodded. "We'll fly for the first stretch, but from there we'll have to go by foot. Transformation takes up a lot of our magic, and we can't afford to be short."

Levy nodded understanding. "That's fine, I don't mind walking," she said. Just because she was a princess didn't mean she was helpless. She actually went on a lot of hikes when she was living in the castle.

Gajeel nodded to Wendy and the two stepped out onto the ledge. Gajeel went first, standing in the center of the ledge and closing his eyes. He focused hard, feeling his magic bubbling inside him, and began to feel the effects of his transformation. He felt himself becoming bigger, broader, stronger and even a bit wilder, as was the nature of dragons. Luckily for him this transformation wasn't as painful as his last two had been, probably because he was adjusting to is again. When he was finished he sighed and opened his eyes, finding his eyesight to be a bit sharper, his senses just a bit more acute. He shook his body experimentally, hearing the mild clinking of smoky gray scales.

Wendy was close behind him, her cloud-gray form taking the shape of a dragon. She was smaller than he was, seeing that in her dragon form she was still growing, and instead of being completely covered in scales, she had a few feathers dotting her head, legs and tail.

Gajeel glanced at Levy, who was staring at the two of them in awe. He sighed, a sound that sounded more like a growl, and crouched down. "Climb on," he rumbled in a gravelly voice.

Levy blinked in surprise. She had been expecting another ride in Gajeel's talons, but apparently not. Levy approached Gajeel and began to clamber onto his back. His scales were large, but thankfully not sharp, and Levy was able to safely straddle his long neck without cutting herself. However, her appearance was most unladylike, given the fact that she was wearing a skirt.

"Um, I'm ready," she said uncertainly, her fingers curling over the edge of one of Gajeel's scales, which pointed towards his head at his neck. The dragon gave a half-snort half-grunt in response and tensed his muscles, beating his powerful stone-gray wings. Levy let out a strangled scream as the wind hit her full-force, her headband flying off her head behind her. She didn't even had time to worry about it; she flattened herself against Gajeel's neck and clutched desperately at his scales in order to keep from falling off.

Wendy was close behind, Carla held tightly in her talons, and the cloud-gray dragoness flew above Gajeel, the feathers that lined the edge of her wings shivering in the breeze.

"S-Slow down!" Levy cried and she dug her fingers into Gajeel's gray scales. Her knuckles were white from the exertion.

"Hold on tighter!" Gajeel growled in response, but slowed his pace ever-so-slightly. Levy sighed in relief and loosened her grip slightly.

Wendy glided down next to Gajeel, beating her wings gracefully. "I've picked up their scent," she announced. "They're maybe two days ahead of us."

Levy glanced at Wendy in surprise. "You can smell them from that far away?" she cried in disbelief, struggling to be heard over the wind in her ears.

Gajeel snorted disdainfully. "Never underestimate a dragon's nose," he grunted in response. "The wind is blowing towards us."

"Oh," Levy said simply, frowning. Gajeel had a talent of making her itch, on the border of tolerance and irritance. She had never been the most patient person either.

Wendy glanced at Gajeel. "We'll have to land soon," she said. "We want to save our magic, right?"

Gajeel nodded and glanced down at the forest floor. "We can camp in that clearing over there," he suggested, and swooped downward sharply, so sharply that Levy almost lost her grip and went plummeting to her death. Somehow she managed to keep holding on, however, and Gajeel landed neatly in the clearing. "Off," he commanded gruffly. "I can't change until you're on the ground."

Levy rolled her eyes but obediently slid down the slender dragon's body, half-landing and half-falling onto the plush grassy floor of the clearing. Seconds later Gajeel was back in his human form, a piece of string somehow appearing in his hand. Levy figured it must be magic. He used the string to tie back his long black hair and turned to Wendy, who had just landed and as changing back into her adorable human form.

"We'll have to walk from here," Gajeel said, frowning at the long path in front of them. "We should move fast if we want to outrun the army." Without waiting to see if anyone was following him, he started a brisk pace into the woods.

"Wait, Gajeel!" Levy called, running after the tall man. "Slow down! I'm not as tall as you are!"

Wendy glanced down at Carla. "Oh dear, what have we gotten ourselves into?" she asked, her eyes sparkling with humor. Carla simply shrugged in reply.

"We should go before we lose them," Carla suggested, and Wendy quickly nodded, following after the two, who could still be heard arguing in the distance.


	4. Reunion

**Finally, a new chapter! Sorry this took so long. I have so many things that I'm working on right now. I should really slow down. The next updates should come slower, I usually update one of my stories every four or five days, sometimes sooner. If you want, check out my other three stories! Thanks to everyone that favorited/followed/reviewed this story! I hope you enjoy this new chapter. Reviews are my drug, so read and review please.**

**Ulcaasi: The king is not a sympathizer, the queen was, and so was the king's brother-in-law, aka Levy's father who has no name. Interesting idea, I'll take that into consideration. Thanks for reviewing, I hope this cleared up any confusion!**

* * *

"Gajeel, can we take a break?" Levy panted as she struggled to keep up with the dark-haired male in front of her. "We've been walking for hours!"

Gajeel glanced back at Levy, frowning. He had to admit, he was impressed that she had managed to keep up thus far. They'd been walking since dawn, and the sun was just beginning to lower, making it a little after noon. Meaning they'd been walking for over four hours. "Alright, fine," he grunted. "We can stop, but just for a little while, and then we have to get moving again."

Levy flashed Gajeel a grateful smile and plopped down on a fallen tree trunk, sighing contentedly as she peeled off her shoes. She had only replaced them to protect her feet from the harsh ground, but now the too-small flats were giving her blisters. She winced as she rubbed her sore feet, running her fingers tentatively over the bright red marks.

Wendy flashed Levy a grateful look and sank down on the tree next to Levy. Obviously she was afraid of telling Gajeel, who was three times larger than she was, to take a break, and the younger girl admired Levy's ability to stand up to Gajeel. "I can lend you my magic if you want," Wendy suggested, gesturing to Levy's red feet.

Levy shook her head. "No, you heard Gajeel. You need to rest, and replenish your magic," she replied. "Besides, we can't be too far away now, right?" she glanced at Gajeel.

The gruff man nodded. "The wind's blowing their scent towards us. They can't be more than an hour or so away."

"Should we fly?" Wendy suggested, and before Gajeel could argue, she added, "I can fly on your back with Levy."

Gajeel closed his mouth and thought for a moment, then nodded approval. "That sounds like a good plan," he agreed finally, leaning his back against a thick tree.

The small group of refugees rested for a little while before Gajeel decided it was time to go. He quickly morphed into his dragon form; he was becoming better at it by the second, and the two girls clambered onto his back, clinging to each other for dear life as the large gray dragon beat his mighty wings and lifted himself off the ground.

Levy dug her fingers into the crevice between two of Gajeel's neck scales and made herself as flat as possible on the huge dragon's neck.

Wendy clung in a similar fashion from her spot next to Levy, digging her feet in to keep herself from sliding off. "So this is what it feels like!" she remarked, her face showing her anxiety at riding bareback on a dragon's neck. "Gajeel, if you let me fall I'll never forgive you!"

Gajeel made a half-snort noise in return, a small cloud of smoke puffing out of his nose as a result. Levy closed her eyes against the stinging smog. "How much longer?" she called.

"Not long," Gajeel replied, an irritated edge to his voice. How was he annoyed by a simple question? Levy reminded herself not to push Gajeel's buttons. She didn't want him angry at her. So for now she kept silent, clinging to Gajeel's neck for dear life as he swooped over the trees.

"I can see them!" Wendy shouted suddenly, making both of her companions jump. "Down there, in the forest!"

Levy craned her neck to see better and spotted two guys standing next to each other, one with light hair and the other dark. It was hard to make them out at this height, so Levy narrowed her eyes to see better. Unfortunately, she leaned over too far and her fingers slipped from their hold on Gajeel's scales. She screamed, half in surprise and half in horror, and grappled to stay on top, but her fingers met only the smooth edges of the scales.

And then she was free falling. What's the protocol for when you accidentally fall off a dragon. There wasn't one. Levy screamed and flailed her arms as her body rocketed towards the ground, her back against the wind so her hair whipped upward. She managed to catch a glimpse of the fast-approaching ground and shut her eyes tight, her whole body tensing for the impact.

It never came. Levy landed hard, definitely, so hard that her breath left her, but there was little pain, and she was pretty sure she wasn't dead. After a short moment she opened her eyes to see Gajeel staring down at her.

"Ya alright, shrimp?" Gajeel asked, though his expression lacked the concern that normally came with the words. He had one arm wrapped securely around her shoulders, the other under her knees., holding her up.

Levy nodded dumbly, her face flushing pink. "I-I'm fine," she stuttered. "Just a little shocked."

"I'll always catch you," Gajeel said suddenly. "If I didn't, we'd both be dead." he gave Levy a malicious grin.

Levy frowned. So that's it? she thought. I'm just an object? A shield to make sure he doesn't get speared? "You can put me down now," she stated blandly, kicking her feet out of Gajeel's grasp so that she could stand.

Wendy tumbled out of the woods suddenly, nearly tripping flat on her face over a prop root of one of the large trees. "Levy!" she cried breathlessly. "Are you okay?"

Levy caught the young girl before she could face-plant. "I'm fine," she answered with a smile as she righted Wendy.

Before Wendy could say anything in reply, a chorus of mixed chatter reached her ears and she turned towards a break in the trees. It took a little longer for the voices to reach Levy's ears.

Levy looked up sharply as two figures burst out of the trees, one with blond hair and bright blue eyes, the other with black hair covering one of his red eyes. The both looked frantic and out of breath, panting heavily.

The blonde was the first to find his words. "Gajeel! Wendy, thank god you two are okay!" he cried. "We were worried! Where's Natsu?"

Gajeel blinked at the two. "Calm down, Sting. Take it easy. Flamebrain's gonna be just fine. He's still in the castle-"

"What?" the dark-haired lan interrupted. "He got caught!"

Sting grit his teeth. "That moron!" he cursed.

Gajeel frowned. "Like I said, Salamander'll be just fine. We have a sympathizer on our side, the heiress."

Sting glanced at Gajeel incredulously. "Lucy Heartfilia? But her dad hates us. How could she possibly be a sympathizer?"

"Queen Layla was a sympathizer," Levy broke in. "She used to tell Lucy and me stories about dragons all the time."

Sting seemed to only just notice Levy was there, and his eyes nearly popped out of his skull when he finally did. He lifted a hand and pointed to her. "Who's the chick?"

* * *

Sting nodded when Gajeel brought Sting and Rogue up to speed, propping himself up on his knees as he sat on a flat rock. "So Natsu and you got caught trying to escape, and in order to get free you took the princess hostage?" Sting summed up the report. "Princess Lucy is going to help Natsu get free?"

Gajeel nodded and grunted an affirmative response. Sting shook his head. "I hope knows what she's doing."

"Lu is very smart and clever," Levy put in. "If anyone can free Natsu, she can." she crossed her legs, tugging on the edge of her skirt, and wished she had brought pants with her. And hiking boots. That would make her life so much easier right now.

Sting leaned his head on his hand. "I hope you're right," he sighed. "I'm more worried about Natsu gong along. He can be… hot-headed. Part of being a fire dragon, I suppose."

Levy glanced at Sting. "So ever dragon has their own element?" she clarified. Dragons were a very interesting topic for her, and she was curious to learn more.

Sting nodded. "Right now, there are seven known. I'm the white dragon and Rogue is the shadow dragon. Gajeel is the iron dragon, Wendy is the sky dragon, and Natsu is the fire dragon. Then there's Laxus, whose element is lightning, and Cobra, whose element is poison."

"I see," Levy murmured, the scholar in her showing more. "And you're all half-breeds?"

Sting nodded once more. "All the adult dragons were killed in the Great War," he replied. "Half-breeds were of interest to the kingdom, so King Jude tried to capture them all. Laxus managed to escape before he could be caught, and they never did find Cobra." he shook his head.

Levy glanced down at her hands, clasped in her lap. "Uncle Jude forbid Lucy and I from learning about the Great Way," she said. "He said it was too violent for nice girls to learn about." she paused, biting her lip.

Rogue scowled, speaking for the first time since their meeting. "Nonsense, it was barely violent at all," he proclaimed softly, though there was an underlying malevolent edge to his voice, and it was clear he held a grudge towards the thriving kingdom of Magnolia.

"Rogue is right," Sting added. "There was barely a fight. After the adults were killed, we were easily taken care of. After all, we were only children when the Great War happened. It wasn't even a war. It barely lasted a week." he shook his head, letting his hair fall forward to shield his expression. "I was only seven when it happened. Wendy was less than two. Laxus must have been at least twelve. He was the oldest of all of us."

Gajeel listened wordlessly, and when Sting had finished the story he glanced at Levy. He felt oddly worried; she was an innocent girl, and had lived in luxury as a princess. She probably knew very little about the real world. However, rather than a surprised look, she had a look of grim understanding on her face.

Levy's hands fisted in the fabric of her dress. "That must have been horrible for you all," she murmured softly. "To have your parents taken from you at such a young age and then being imprisoned in those dark jail cells for eleven years… I wish I could have helped you all sooner."

Gajeel blinked at Levy, and he would be lying if he said he wasn't soft. Then a grin stretched across his face. Tough as nails._ Just like her mother,_ Gajeel thought with a hint of melancholy in his eyes.

Wendy glanced at Gajeel and blinked. "Gajeel? Is something the matter?" she asked softly. The others seemed too caught up in their own conversation to notice.

"Fine," Gajeel answered, his grin still there. "She's something, ain't she?"

Wendy blinked, then she grinned knowingly and elbowed Gajeel's side. "Yup, she's definitely something," she teased. "Especially if she caught the attention of the great Iron Dragon." she giggled lightly. "I like her. Do you?" she glanced at Gajeel expectantly.

"She's alright," Gajeel answered vaguely, brushing off Wendy's attempts to make him talk. "Better than some whiny stereotype, anyway."

Wendy rolled her eyes and sighed. She'd try again later, she decided. "So what do we do now?" she asked. "We have all four of us all together now." she leaned forward, propping her chin in her hands and glancing sideways at Gajeel.

Sting and Rogue halted their conversation with Levy for a moment in order to look at Gajeel. Everyone seemed to be expecting an answer from him.

Gajeel's lips curled into a wicked grin. He stood up and smacked a fist into his hand aggressively. "Now, we fight back."


End file.
